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HIGHWAY ENGINNERS LOOK AT RIVERS AS A SYSTEM

The need for a documentation of the principles of river mechanics which provide engineers with the knowledge needed to construct safe river crossings, has resulted in a manual prepared by engineering staff members of Colorado State University sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration. A designer requires a basic understanding of hydraulics, sedimentation, erosion, and environmental impact, to name a few subjects, in order to construct river crossings that are compatible with the river environment. The manual contains chapters on such subjects as open channel flow and fluvial geomorphology. It was tested in a two-week training course at Colorado State University. The focus was on the river as a system; any alterations, man-made or natural, will affect the entire river system, as well as the crossing. An evaluation of the manual and the training course, as well as another course, have indicated the manual's worth the engineers.